1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inflating device, particularly suitable for quickly inflating tubeless tyres.
2. Description of the Related Art
A number of devices for quickly inflating tyres, both bell-type and ring-type provided with blowing-in nozzles in the area between wheel rim and tyre bead are known in the art. Such devices are usually installed, fixed or removable, near the rotating wheel rim supporting plate or platform of a tyre assembling-disassembling machine. More recently, patent EP-A-1 342 593 has disclosed an handlebar structure, that can be controlled by an operator and is provided, on the one hand, with control handles and, on the other hand, with blowing-in nozzles directed in the opposite direction with respect to the operator, i.e. directed, in use, towards a wheel (i.e a wheel rim with a tyre mounted thereon) to be inflated located onto the supporting and locking rotating plate or platform of a tyre assembling-disassembling machine. The handlebar inflation structure can be moved by the operator between a rest position, away from supporting platform, and a working position, in which the blowing-in nozzles are located between rim flange and tyre bead of the wheel to be inflated, ready to blow relatively high pressurised air into the tyre upon operator's control. As a matter of fact, the blowing-in nozzle or nozzles are in communication with a compressed air source, e.g. a tank fed by a suitable compressor.
The above described handlebar inflation structure is unsatisfactory from many viewpoints. First of all, it is dangerous from the point of view of the safety against injuries, since it allows compressed fluid at relatively high pressure (sometimes higher than 5 bar) to be supplied through said blowing-in nozzles, even when the handlebar structure is not in its working position, i.e. also when it is in a lifted position. This circumstance is liable to cause serious injuries to people or damages to things, in the not rare case in which the operator casually discharges high pressurised air against persons or things.
Secondly, as the handlebar structure is bound to the tyre assembling-disassembling machine by an articulated arm, the operator's movements are limited and cumbersome as the operator has to follow a predetermined constrained procedure for controlling the handlebar structure. Finally, even when the handlebar structure is formed by a pair of handles, each provided with a blowing-in nozzle assembly and articulated to a common support, it is required that the nozzles are kept in symmetrical position with respect to a plane of symmetry, which further limits the freedom of movement and control of the operator, who must pay attention to effect adjustment and positioning movements of the handlebar structure while keeping the nozzles onto the wheel rim in a substantially symmetrical way.
In addition, even when the symmetrical adjusting has been made, there is no guarantee that the nozzles of both handles correctly rest between wheel rim edge or flange and tyre bead, which results in substantial leakages of wasted compressed air and failure to inflate the tyre at a desired pressure, as compressed air is injected by some nozzles not in a correct direction towards the wheel.